TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
>
> And my past experience has been that the assurance of raises and
bonuses
> never materialize as they say it will. Things change, and while the
> hiring manager offer you the "potential" of a 100% bonus each time and
a
> 5% increase, there seem to always be unseen factors that prevent this.
> And then there's prorating (if you are hired mid-year or convert to a
> direct employee from a contractor.)
>
I don't want to count any chickens before they hatch, but when budgets
are finalized in the next six weeks or so, there is a high probability
that I will be offered a permanent position instead of the contract
position I currently hold. I would expect that position to begin on or
around January 1 of 2006.
My inquiry is for anyone who has gone through this transition before (I
have always been a "real" employee or employed through an agency in all
other job experience prior to this gig).
Taking into account a) what it costs me out of pocket now for health
insurance, b) what tax rate I have to pay for Social Security taxes, and
c) what tax bracket I fall into at my current level of contract pay (the
money they would withhold that I'm now able to earn interest on until I
have to self-pay it), I would like input on the following questions:
1. What percentage of my contract salary should I expect the employer to
offer as a "real" salary for a permanent position?
2. In terms of a percentage, what is reasonable to expect the company to
pay for benefits, taxes, and other overhead associated with being a real
employee?
3. Is it reasonable for me to ask the employer to count my hire date (in
terms of vacation accrual, vesting with the company, 401K and other
benefits) as the date I started working as a contractor (I have been
here continuously with no interruptions since that hire date)?
I have been keeping tabs on Salary.com and other resources to know what
this position "ought" to pay in my city and as a contractor I'm well
above the 75th percentile. I'm expecting that IF--nothing is guaranteed,
of course--the company makes a permanent offer it will be lower than the
contract rate, but I'm not sure what is reasonable to expect. Any
feedback from voices of experience would be most appreciated, onlist or
off. Thanks.
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, purge it and do not disseminate or copy it.
Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Doc-To-Help 2005 converts RoboHelp files with one click. Author with Word or any HTML editor. Visit our site to see a conversion demo movie and learn more. http://www.componentone.com/TECHWRL/DocToHelp2005
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
